# Saint-Gobain Crystals — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation

**Citation:** 09-0127  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 2009-06-10

09-0127 response to Saint-Gobain Crystals concerning 173.22.

## Document text

<<<PAGE 1>>>

U.S. Department of Transportation
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20590
JUN 1 0 2009
Mr. Jeffrey L. Kennedy
Saint-Gobain Crystals
17900 Great Lakes Parkway
Hiram, OH 44234
Ref. No.: 09-0127
Dear Mr. Kennedy:
This is in response to your May 18, 2009 letter requesting clarification on the applicability of
the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171 -1 80) to cadmium tungstate.
You request confirmation from this office that the test report submitted with your letter
provides sufficient verification that the tested materials are not subject to the requirements of
the HMR.
As provided in § 173.22, it is the shipper's responsibility to properly classify a hazardous
material. Such determinations are not required to be verified by this office. However, based
on the test results you provided, it is our opinion that the cadmium tungstate crystals
described in the test report do not meet the definition of a Division 6.1 material for oral or
dermal toxicity. Provided this material does not meet the criteria for a Division 6.1 material
for inhalation hazard or the definition of another hazard class, it is not subject to the HMR.
I hope this information is helpful. Please contact us if you require additional assistance.
Sincerely,
Standards Development
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards

<<<PAGE 2>>>

Page 1 of 1
Sent: Monday, May 18,2009 4 54 PM
To: Drakeford, Carolyn <PHMSA>
Subject: FW: Cadmium tungstate hazardous material testirlg
Attachments: 2471-001 .pdf
From: Kennedy, Jeffrey L. [mailto:Jeffrey.L,Kennedy@saint-gobain.com]
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 4:49 PM
To: Leary, Kevin <PHMSA>
Subject: Cadmium tungstate hazardous material testing
Dear Mr. Leary,
Back in November-December 2007, you and I discussed what testing would be required on cadmium tungstate
crystal to determine if it meets the definition of a Class 6, Division 6.1 hazardous material.
As you may recall I submitted testing results from a laboratory in India, but the laboratory did not reference the
testing procedures used, therefore you suggested using the "up and down procedure."
We have tested cadmium turlgstate crystal using the oral and dermal toxicity limits defined in 49 CFR 173.132.
Stresau Laboratory, Inc. of Spooner, Wisconsin handled this project and submitted the attached report, which
includes the references to their testing methods. None of the animals tested died as a result of the exposure to
cadmium tungstate.
Please let me know if this report provides sufficient information to make the determination that cadmium tungstate
crystal does not meet the definition of a hazardous material under 49 CFR 173.1 32.
Thank you very much for your continued help on this project.
Sincerely,
Jeff Kennedy
Saint-Gobain Crystals
17900 Great Lakes Parkway
Hiram, OH 44234
Emall: Jeffrey L KennedyQSaint-Gobain.com
Telephone. 440-834-5659

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretations/2009/090127.pdf>
- Source ID: `phmsa`
- SHA-256: `726399df94e1daa3697bf72196b6eceb54fee38803e40a8ec0b533416733ceeb`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z
- Exported: 2026-08-23T14:45:03.071Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-09-0127`

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